Pneumothorax

Serena Cervantes and her boyfriend left their senior prom and were on the way to the post-prom party when a limousine carrying other students slammed broadside into their sport utility vehicle. Serena was not wearing a seat belt, and she was thrown from the vehicle and landed on a fence. When the emergency medical crew arrived, it was clear that she had multiple injuries, including penetrating chest trauma that caused a pneumothorax. She was having difficulty breathing, and pulse oximetry showed an O₂ saturation of 85%. In the emergency department, a chest x-ray confirmed that her left lung had collapsed, and a large-bore chest tube was placed in her thoracic cavity.